Epilogue: The Meaning of Happiness

Saturday 4th March 1995, 05:44 AM

Somewhere within the building, metal scraped onto the floor as the Purple Man stripped parts from the corpses of his victims. Gutting their essential systems and taking anything of value, including motherboards, computer chips, and storage units. He left their costume parts discarded on the floor, uncaring.

For five nights he had come and gone, targeting each one of them and luring them with sounds. Isolating them and terminating them. Much like he had done so many times in the past. Now he stood there, examining his old suit in nostalgia. As far as he was aware, he was now alone in the building. The lone survivor. The victor, of this little war he had waged for almost twenty years.

How wrong he was.

For the longest time, the spirit had stayed within the shadows of the building. Hiding in plain sight, never giving itself away to those it preferred to avoid. Throughout its new 'life' which had been forced upon the child that once was, it had always stayed out of the way. Only revealing itself when it was ready.

So when it knew the time had come, it appeared. Bringing a brilliant light, white and gold, which illuminated the pizzeria for just a moment. Even when it had assumed the form of that hideous rotting bear, the spirit had always preferred to dwell in the shadows. Now, as the ones it once almost considered family lay destroyed, the spirit knew it was time to leave.

However, the spirit had refused to assume the form of the bear, the 'Golden Freddy', as it had been referred to. From the start, it had despised that new life given to it, even as the others had played and pretended to be nothing more than mascots. The spirit had always been honest to itself what it was, and what it had been cursed to be evermore: A victim.

Now, it was time to find what it had always desired.

As it left the stage it was standing upon, the form it took illuminated the nearby surroundings. It was like a little lamp. Moving slowly, knowing it had all the time in the world, the spirit went through the halls and gazed at its surroundings. Months of negligence had led to the pizzeria falling apart. Walls had become chipped and the ceiling was becoming waterlogged. Rain fell down in patches.

Perhaps the others would have been dismayed at seeing what they called their 'home' had become. For this spirit, however, it merely turned its nose up at the disrepair. This place had never been anything more than a prison for it, a not-so-gilded cage which merely reminded the spirit of how any opportunity for any other life had been ripped away.

For all the spirit could care, the place could be demolished, leaving no trace behind.

Eventually, it decided that it was time to begin the inevitable. Turning towards the place where the others had been led to and slaughtered, the spirit approached with no urgency. Its light clearly gave it away, as the spirit heard movement as it got closer. A figure emerged by the entrance hall, tall and dark.

This figure had been one the spirit was familiar with. So long ago, when it had been lured away from its happiest day, the spirit had ended up in a dark room. One where it was not alone. For what felt like an eternity, the spirit, back when it had been human, had pounded on the door with the others it was trapped with, yelling out. Pleading for help.

But no one had come. Not until that figure had returned. The sight of its smile, white teeth in the shadows, would remain with the spirit for however long it remained in this plain of existence. Whatever came next was still fuzzy, all except for the horrific pain and the naïve, futile thought that someone would come to stop it.

Within that room, the spirit had met its end along with four others. The body had been destroyed, yet the soul had lingered. Trapped. Not being able to move on. Even to that day, the spirit couldn't understand why it had been unable to move on. None of the others had, either. Not even the all-so-knowing 'Noble one' had solved that mystery.

So, with their spirits being able to do nothing except silently cry and suffer in the darkness, their fates had been decided for them by the one that called themselves the Marionette. One by one, their bodies had been placed inside the animatronic characters themselves. It hadn't been long, of course, for their bodies were quickly discovered by the pathetic excuses for workers there. Perhaps their bodies had been dumped in the same mass grave that so many of the spirit's own victims had been discarded?

In spite of this, though, their spirits had remained within the animatronics. Cursed to a new existence, forced to watch other children much like they had once been grow up and move on.

So when the spirit laid eyes on the one they had called the Purple Man, in the darkness with those same white teeth, it had felt nothing but joy that it had finally found its moment. This time, the figure was not smiling. In fact, as the spirit slowly moved in, an impossibility in the fragile mind of the monster, the Purple Man looked afraid.

A delicious prospect.

Within moments, the figure vanished in the shadows again, retreating to his hidey hole. Did he possibly believe that he would be safe in the confines of his murder room? Though the spirit had never once wanted to return to the room it had died in, it supposed it could make an exception.

So instead, the spirit moved into the hallway where the shattered bodies of its fellow victims lay. Turning to face the room, the spirit moved closer. Towards the entrance of the room. As it did so, it saw the figure trying his best to hide, but the further it stepped in, the brighter the room became.

Laying eyes on the Purple Man, the spirit waited. Waited for him to speak. It had only ever been when the monster had been disguised in that suit had he ever spoken, to usher lies and tell falsehoods. When he had emerged from the suit, all he had ever done was smile. Smile as he locked them inside that room. Smile as he returned and cut them down.

Now that the smile was gone, all the spirit could see was a coward, trying to hide from the light.

Something in the man's eyes flashed, but the spirit did not need to look to know what he saw. Slowly, the light grew larger and the shadows almost completely disappeared. Behind the spirit, just at the entrance of the room, emerged the four others. Colours of granite and lapis, jasper and topaz, danced with the white that lit up the room.

Finally looking back at the others, the spirit saw the four others than it could have once considered family. Then it looked back at the Purple Man, and approached him silently.

Backing up towards the corner of the room, the Purple Man tried to cover his eyes. To block out the blinding light that now showed his true colours. With his eyes wide and skin as pale as paper, the Purple Man tried to look for an escape. A way to avoid the vengeance of his victims. That was when his eyes fell onto the animatronic towards the back right corner of the room, among the broken arcade cabinets.

When the spirit saw the animatronic, flashes of the last moments of its mortal life emerged. Using that very same suit, the Purple Man had lured them away. Before those who wanted to cover it all up had sealed the suit behind that wall, the Purple Man had used it to wander the pizzeria, undisturbed by the others.

It had only been the spirit, as well as the other who had called itself Foxy, which had been able to see past that disguise. For a moment, the spirit wondered. Did the Purple Man believe that by using the suit, just one more time, it could once again fool them?

When the decision in his eyes announced the answer, the Purple Man's disgusting grin came back. Pouncing up onto his feet, he rushed towards the animatronic, cranking it to power it on. Slowly, the animatronic climbed to its feet and opened up in such a rudimentary fashion, lifeless. With not a moment to lose, the Purple Man started to climb in, loading up all the systems as he once more disguised himself.

All the while, the spirits watched on. Some of them felt confusion. Some of them felt fear. Some of them felt delight, knowing that it didn't change anything. Had the Purple Man considered his actions, and hadn't rushed into such an action, he might have contemplated the fact that the spirits could do nothing physically to him.

Once his transformation was complete, the Purple Man stood up, within the suit. Over six feet tall. Then he turned to look at them, those eyes staring with glee and that grin so big, the spirits almost expected his jaw to break. A giggle came from the man, which slowly grew into a cackle, then into laughter, then into an outright breakdown of joy.

Even as he laughed, the Purple Man didn't feel the rain drip down from the ceiling. Didn't feel himself suddenly grow cooler.

It wasn't until the springlocks in the suit he was wearing snapped shut that he felt anything. His laughter was suddenly cut short as he gagged, the limbs of the suit jutting out involuntarily, twisting his bones into impossible angles. Suddenly, the Purple Man started to scream, as he tried to reach for the head of the suit to rip it off.

But before he could, the jaw of the suit snapped shut, and his screams became guttural. Emerging from their storage, the eyes of the animatronic suit came out and embedded themselves into his skull. Finally completing its transformation back into animatronic mode, the suit's head fully collapsed back into where it was supposed to be, crushing his throat.

As the suit collapsed onto its knees, robotic in nature, the Purple Man continued to scream. But his voice was full of blood and his windpipe was crushed. All he could do was gargle, his own blood dripping from the springtrap he had put himself within, before collapsing onto the floor against the wall. Twitching.

Slowly, with their work done, the spirits faded, taking the light with them. Leaving the Purple Man, the one who had once taken their own lives away in that very same room, to suffer. Eventually, the room was left in complete darkness, and the Purple Man was all alone.

Still twitching.

Sunday 8th March 2015, 00:34 AM

As his vision returned, Mike knew that something was different. That gut feeling had never let him down. Of course, this was something far different than an eery feeling, or the sixth sense that told him that something was out of place. With all of those usual things, it meant that everything else was the same. It had to be for him to know that something was wrong.

When he felt that same feeling at that point, however, he knew that everything was wrong. Nothing was as it should be. Sure, he could still feel the warmth of the indoor heating. Smell the scent of pizza, cooling from being cooked. Hear the sound of music playing softly in the background. Taste the conditioned air in his mouth. All around, he could see the sights and colours.

But none of it felt real. It was like he was in a dream, conscious of the artificial reality he was living in. Perhaps his first clue had been the familiarity of the layout. The place he stood within was much like how he remembered the dining hall in Freddy's to be, red tiles and grey walls to boot. Within the dining hall were those same tables. Chairs underneath, with large fabric tablecloths.

Hanging above him were balloons, untethered. The dim lights reflected off the material of the balloons, creating sparkles of colour. Though he couldn't see very well through the dark room, he knew he wasn't alone. Several small figures were sitting by the tables, large mounds of cake near them.

After what felt like hours standing there, too bewildered to move, Mike felt the presence join him. Standing by his side and looking out into the dining hall. A few moments passed before Mike looked down to his right.

Standing there was a child, anywhere between the ages of three to nine. He couldn't make out any feature of the child apart from their clothes, which were all black, and the mask they were wearing which covered their entire face. The mask was pale white, with two large black holes which Mike knew to be eye. Down the eyes lay two tear tracks.

He was speechless when he realised who it was. Though they had taken such a familiar form, it had still been a moment of surprise when he saw them in such a way.

"It's beautiful, is it not?" The Marionette spoke with their lullaby-like voice, looking over the place with such fondness.

Doubtful, Mike nodded. "I guess."

"I suppose you have many questions."

"To put it lightly, yeah."

"Then I will do my best to put your mind at ease. Please, ask."

Pausing, Mike tried to piece together his thoughts into a comprehendible form, settling on just what he wanted to say. "Where are we? What is this place?"

The question seemed to amuse the Marionette. "I couldn't say for sure. Where do you think we are?"

"Well…" Mike hesitated, "It looks like Freddy Fazbear's. Smells like it, too. But…it doesn't have the stage. And without the animatronics."

Mike could almost feel the smile behind the Marionette's mask. "I suppose you are right. A wonderful place, is it not?"

"I guess." Mike shrugged, "I can't say for sure."

The Marionette nodded, understanding. "Forgive me. I forget of the trials you have endured here. You have gone through such suffering that no one deserved, especially not someone like you."

"You lot went through worse. And I'm not as good of a person you think I am. I've seen…seen what he did. The Purple Man. You showed me."

"I know. But what we suffered and the extent of it doesn't invalidate your own, Michael. But I digress; you asked me just where we are. You have realised by now, I believe, that we are not at the place called Fazbear's Frights. Though I cannot quite explain where we are, as I'm aware it would be quite difficult to believe, I hope you will be satisfied when I say you're exactly where you need to be."

Nodding, Mike knew he sort of understood. "So what you told me in those visions…I was right? That stuff with those stupid games was what you were trying to show me?"

"Yes. I must apologise for the…complicated nature of it. I'm afraid that those games were the best we could do with what we had. I admit, I was afraid it was all for naught. But I knew that if anyone had the tenacity to push through and find the answer, it was you. You were always special, Michael."

"Then…just what were those games supposed to be about?"

"When the Purple Man returned that week, to destroy the new lives that I had given to his victims, he left them tattered. Broken. But they were still tethered. For all those years after, they remained tethered. Fragmented across the parts they once called their own. From their costume parts, to the very mechanical systems the dwelled within."

Finally looking at him, the Marionette's warm smile was visible from beneath their mask. "This was why you saw them. Why you saw me. I assure you, however, that none of the horrors you saw or heard from us were intentional. Every ghastly shade was a message that was broken and shattered. We all wanted to know what we felt. How we worried for your safety, or how we believed in you."

Blinking, Mike bit his lip. "'We'?"

"I believe you already know the answer to that." Looking at the other figures in the room, the Marionette gestured, "We have been waiting for you. Watching you through all your trials and triumphs. All for a single request."

Gazing at the Marionette, Mike hesitated, "And what is that request?"

"That you help us, just one more time. I warn you, however, it will not be easy. We have all failed."

"If it will help them in any way," Mike instantly responded, "I will do anything you need me to do."

"I appreciate that." The Marionette smiled again, before looking towards the back of the room, almost hesitant. Mike was almost sure that they were worried, "We all want to move on. Our second chance of life is over. Taken from us. There is no future for us here, in this realm of pain. All we can hope for is that whatever comes after is better."

"Why did you never move on in the first place?" Mike suddenly thought and voiced it, "I can't imagine that you all chose to."

"I'm afraid it wasn't by choice, no. I cannot say for certain what chained us down. Perhaps our pain and anger, or perhaps we knew in our hearts that our purpose wasn't complete. Either way, we are all ready. Ready to move on, with our hearts set on it. There is just…one problem."

With a nervousness about them that Mike hadn't expected, the Marionette held out their hand to him. "Would you…could you come with me? I'm not sure I have the strength to do this alone."

Looking at the hand, Mike nodded and took it. The two of them walked side by side, closer towards the tables and to the figures sat underneath them. As he passed one of them, Mike saw that the child was wearing a green alligator mask. Beneath their mask, the child smiled at him, and Mike gave a nod back.

Across from the alligator kid was another wearing a pink pig mask. After that table were two more children, one wearing a purple hippopotamus mask and the one across from them in what seemed to be a blue panda mask. After that table sat a lone child wearing an orange elephant mask. As he passed them, Mike realised that they were all looking at him.

"Who are they?" Mike mumbled just in earshot of the Marionette, who seemed to smile.

"Old friends."

Then the child wearing the blue panda mask stood up from their seat, with a huge smile. "Hello, sir. Mr. Schmidt."

Pausing, Mike blinked. "Oh. Hi. Have we met?"

"Once. A long time ago."

Sensing the movement around him, Mike saw that the other children had gotten out of their seats and were still looking at him. "I'm sorry, I'm not meaning to be rude, but I'm just having a hard time remembering…"

"I understand!" The child in the pig mask spoke up cheerfully, "We haven't had any sunlight in a while…"

"And we're still in the same old hole." Alligator mask pointed out, almost dryly.

That made Mike even more confused. "Wait. What did you just say?"

"We've fallen down quite a bit since last time." Hippo mask admitted, their voice soft and almost wise.

"But we're still your friends!" Elephant mask spoke up, hopping up and down.

"And that's never going to change." Panda mask smiled, "No matter the years that have passed.

Looking at each of them, Mike knew there was something he recognised in each of them. The way they spoke, and the way they acted. Then, when the answer hit him, it hit him hard.

"The Fazcrew." He muttered to himself, before looking at the panda mask kid. "Fred?"

Panda mask's smile turned deeper, "Yes, sir. It's good to see you again."

Looking at the hippo mask kid who had been sitting across from Fred, Mike nodded, "Mangle?"

"No longer blurbleing." Hippo mask said politely.

Then Mike turned to look at alligator mask and pig mask. "Chi? Bon?"

"That's me!" Pig mask beamed.

"Don't wear it out." Alligator mask moaned, but Mike could tell they were happy to see him.

Nodding as he listed them down, Mike looked down at elephant mask. "BB?"

Elephant mask nodded excitedly, though they didn't say anything.

As he realised just who he was talking to, he felt something hit him in the chest and he both felt a wave of happiness and joy, yet sadness followed close behind. "I can't…I can't believe it. I never thought I'd see any of you again."

"Our last meeting was somewhat climatic." Fred agreed.

"We're just sorry we caused you all that trouble." Looking up at him with a small, sad smile on their face, Mangle seemed happy that Mike could finally understand what they were saying.

"You don't…" The words almost choked up in Mike's throat, "You don't have to be sorry about anything. I am…I'm so sorry for what happened to you. All of you."

But Fred shook their head, "We followed you for a reason. You standing right here, right now, is all the proof we need that our efforts was not in vain. We're sorry for the confusing steps you had to take, with all of those easter egg hunts."

"Easter egg hunts can be fun, though!" Mangle pointed out.

"Those games…" Mike suddenly realised what they were saying, "You left them?"

"Oh, no. We didn't have the capability of such a task." Fred shrugged, "But by finding them, you helped us with our tasks. The others, our older relatives, were lost. We needed your help to find them."

That only confused Mike more. "But…wait. How on Earth…?"

"I believe we are jumping ahead of ourselves." The Marionette finally spoke up, sensing his confusion, "Though even we don't truly understand how they worked, it seemed that those games you played were linked to…wherever we are now. This place was a safe spot once our souls were lost once more. A haven, if you will. We found each other easily, but finding the others, the ones you called the Fazgang, was somewhat…difficult."

"Those games gave us a way to find them." Fred explained, "A way to call them to our haven."

"Then…" Mike started to understand, "Those grey children in the games…"

"Were them, yes."

"Does that mean…" The thought made him choke up again, "Does that mean that they're here?"

"See for yourself." Pointing further forward into the room, the Marionette gestured at four more figures. Feeling his legs grow heavy, Mike allowed the Marionette to continue leading him into the room.

Walking closer, Mike felt his legs grow weaker as the four figures turned to look at him. Stopping, Mike looked at each of them, seeing the smiles behind their respective masks. Unlike the children who inhabited the Toys, the Fazgang wore the same masks as they had in animatronic form. A bear mask for Freddy. A rabbit mask for Bonnie. A chicken mask for Chica. A fox mask for Foxy. Yet they looked so different, so fragile, in the form they took now.

Finally, Freddy nodded and his voice, though so much lighter and younger, still held that same wisdom. "It's good to see you again, Michael."

"Even if we wish it wasn't so dreary." Bonnie admitted.

Struggling to find his voice, Mike felt the sting of tears rising up. "It's…it's really you."

"Yes, sweetie." Chica beamed, her voice still so motherly in spite of her youth.

"Couldn't get rid of us that easily, lad!" Cackled Foxy, though his stocky Welsh accent had vanished, now replaced with the telltale signs of a boy playing pretend.

Looking around the room, Mike couldn't believe it, no matter how much he examined the faces of the children around him. Somehow, someway, he had found his friends again. He wanted to laugh. He wanted to cry. Most of all, he wanted to say something to them that he had wanted to say for almost twenty years.

"I'm so sorry." He finally said, that wave of sadness hitting him in the chest, "I'm so sorry for what happened to you. To all of you. I should have done more."

"You have already done enough, Michael." Freddy shook his head assuringly, "You brave man. Michael, you wonderful man. Somehow, someway, you brought us back together. You never gave up on us, even though you should have. Which is why it is so hard for us to ask this of you…"

"Anything." Mike immediately answered, "Anything you need."

Turning around, Freddy looked at something behind them, and the others shared worried looks. As he tried to see what they were looking at, Mike realised that there was yet another figure in the room. Towards the back, behind the last table. All alone. This child lacked a mask, their grey, pale face turned downwards.

"Is that who I think it is?" Mike quietly asked, hoping not to be overheard.

"Indeed." The Marionette answered, "Golden Freddy arrived last. As you continued your conquest, Bonnie joined us first, then Chica, then Foxy, then Freddy. Though Goldie answered the call, they have not said anything to us since their arrival. I was surprised to see them at all; I believed them to have been lost after you defeated them."

Continuing to stare at Golden Freddy, Mike felt a chill embrace him. "The only way you can move on is for you all to be unanimous. That's what this is about, isn't it?"

"I'm afraid so."

Glancing at the Marionette, Mike suddenly felt doubt. "I'm not sure what you expect from me. I don't exactly think I'm Golden Freddy's favourite person. Why do you think they'll listen to me?"

"What you need to understand about Goldie is that they came into their new life full of rage. The first of my children to rise. In those first few months, it was tough on us all. But unlike the rest of us, Goldie was never able to move on. To accept their reality. I believe that they embraced their anger, their hatred, because if they didn't, they wouldn't have anything to help them escape the despair."

Looking back over to the lone child, the Marionette seemed sad. "But Goldie is not evil. They never were. I believe they regret their decisions. All of the bad things they have done has been in the name of vengeance. Not being able to forgive. That lack of forgiving is what chains them to this place, stopping them from moving on."

"But I also believe that the reason why they cannot forgive the one who did this to them is because they do not forgive themselves for everything they have done. And what better way to learn this…from someone they hurt time and time again?"

Though Mike still felt doubt, he also knew he needed to try. He hadn't come all of this way just to give up. With his gaze back over to the small, lonely figure, Mike nodded. "I'll try. I might need help, though."

"Of course." The Marionette smiled again at those words, before Mike walked closer with them by his side. Though the Toys remained distant, they watched from afar. Behind him were the Fazgang, all staying with him in support. Looking back at them, Mike saw the hopeful looks on their faces and he knew he couldn't fail.

Finally reaching the table, where on the other side Golden Freddy stood maskless, Mike looked them over. Unlike the others, Goldie had no other recognisable mark of their other identity. Mike supposed this was deliberate; the only one of the eleven victims of the Purple Man who was never able to accept the new life they were given.

Standing across from them, Mike waited for a sign of movement. An acknowledgement that the child had noticed them. When none was given, the Marionette spoke up.

"Goldie, we are here to talk."

Once more, nothing was said. Breathing in, Mike tried to forget all the horrors he had suffered. All the pain he had gone through, all caused by the monster he knew as Golden Freddy. Two weeks of fighting for his own survival as the other animatronics were tricked into hunting him. A week on the run after they were taken control of. How his father had died at the hands of this monster, and how his best friend had lost an arm.

Mike tried to forget all of this and focus on one thing: This was a child, a victim of the only true monster. This child needed help.

"You need to talk to us." Mike finally said, trying to keep his voice patient and calm, "Because no one is going anywhere until you do."

"Go." The child spoke in such a light voice, Mike almost couldn't believe the anger in it, "Away."

"We can't do that."

"Please, my friend." The Marionette spoke softly, "We wish to help you."

"I don't need it. Not from him. Especially not from him."

"You wouldn't be here if you didn't need help." Mike pointed out, knowing that to grow frustrated would just knock him back.

"And what would you know about what I need? What any of us need? This talk is wasted on someone like you."

"Michael fought long and hard to get here." The Marionette reasoned, "He risked his own life. Faced the Purple Man himself. All just to help us."

"You won." Mike continued, "You found him. Took him down. He's out there still, suffering. You don't need to be in pain anymore."

"Then why," Goldie seethed, angry tears spilling from their grey cheeks, "does it still hurt?"

"Because what happened to you wasn't fair." Looking around, Mike stared into the eyes of each of the children there, "What happened to all of you wasn't fair. I wish I could change that, but I can't."

"Because you're weak." Finally looking up, Goldie glared daggers at Mike and the Marionette, "Both of you. I know who you are, Mike Schmidt. You might have tricked the others into thinking you're a good person, but I know people like you. You're just one bad day away from hurting someone more deserving of life than you are."

"Both of you are weak." Goldie continued, now looking at the Marionette, "All that power, all that control, and yet the best thing you could do was dress us up and put us on a stage? You say you wanted to give us new life. But the truth is, you just didn't want to be alone."

"I tried my best for you." Shaking their head, the Marionette hid it well whether or not they were stung by those words, "I just wanted you to be happy."

"And to do that, you put me in a rotting costume, unable to move? It took me a year just to learn how to become detached from that thing. You took me away from one hell, and put me in another. At least when it was nothing but darkness, I didn't have to deal with any of you!"

"Goldie-" The Marionette began to say sadly, but Mike held a hand up and gave them a look. Knowing in his heart that the only way to move forward was to allow this poor, hurting child to talk.

"All of you acted like any of this was anything but a massive pile of repetitive pain and misery! Singing and dancing and telling stories that were all just as artificial as the ones who were telling them!" With a look of unbowed rage, Goldie looked at each of them, "And what the hell did it accomplish? You honestly think that any of the children would look back on those days and feel anything except for an uncanny nostalgia?!"

"Do you know what I think about whenever I think of Freddy's? Closed doors and veiled threats! Fuzzy memories and dark crimes! And in the end, all we are, all we're left with, is a bunch of painful echoes that will never go away! Yet all of you acted like it was some sort of fun paradise!"

"I wanted more than this!" Goldie had started to scream by this point, and it was all Mike could do to keep still, "I wanted to grow up, do something! I wanted to chase my dreams, no matter how stupid and unreachable they were! I was growing up! But no, none of that mattered, did it? Not to those pathetic employees, not to those who covered it all up, and not to that thing calling itself human who got to live on while he left us all to rot!"

"That was supposed to be the beginning of my life! That was supposed to be the start of something more! That was supposed to be my happiest day!"

At some point, the screeches that had come from the child had turned into sobs, and they had collapsed onto their knees, inconsolable. Feeling his own tears threatening to break out again, Mike looked around at the other children, all of whom were avoiding eye contact. Staring at the floor, or staring into nothing.

Even the Marionette's gaze had shifted. Before he could speak, Mike knew he had to understand. Truly understand the pain that had been inflicted to one of his oldest enemies. As he started to understand, he understood a lot more. Finally, feeling his courage again, Mike spoke up.

"You're right." Mike spoke lowly at first, then gradually raised his voice to be loud enough to be heard by them all. "You're right. It was supposed to be all of that. It was your birthday, wasn't it? When you were taken by him. That's what this is all about, right? An attempt to give you one thing out of so many others that you missed out on?"

"Because the truth is, it isn't enough."

"Michael." The Marionette said with a confused warning, but Mike pushed on.

"None of it will ever be enough. For any of you. You didn't get to grow up. Have a family. Get a job. Travel the world. None of you got any of it, because it was taken away from you. By someone who didn't see the potential, or the fact that any of you deserved the future. Because the truth is, you all deserved more. So much more than you were given. I would gladly give my life if it meant I could change that."

Looking over towards Goldie again, Mike breathed in. "I know you don't want to talk to me, but please, just answer this one question: Do you really think none of the others wanted to live just as much as you did?"

That question seemed to rock Golden Freddy. Knocked them off balance. "I…"

Turning around, Mike looked at the others. "I know it might hurt…but what did all of you want to be when you grew up?"

"A pirate!" Foxy piped up immediately, but then frowned, "Actually…I kinda wanted to be a Police Officer."

"I liked books." Bonnie said quietly. "And music."

"I wanted to be a teacher," Chica sniffed, tears threatening to leak from her mask, "Just like my mom."

"It sounds silly," Freddy smiled sadly, "But I wanted to be president."

"It's not silly at all." Mike grinned at him, "You would have made a good one. What about the rest of you?"

"My father was in the army." Fred said, "And his dad. And his, too. I liked tanks."

"Cooking!" Chi said excitedly, "I wanted to travel the world, learn all that I could."

Shrugging, Bon seemed nonchalant, yet pleased that someone wanted to know something about him. "I liked movies. I wanted to make my own Terminator film."

"I know it is weird," BB said, "but I really liked hot air balloons. I wanted to fly one across the world."

"That sounds like a lot of fun." Mike smiled at him, "And I bet you would've been famous for it."

Turning to look at the Marionette, Mike nodded. "What about you? You've spent all of this time focusing on them. What did you want?"

Blinking, the Marionette seemed almost awkwardly. "Well…the truth is, nothing. I was…too young to find any dreams of my own. All of this has been…all I've ever known. I never made any plans."

Looking at the Marionette for a few moments, Mike nodded in understanding. Then the Marionette looked at him and smiled again. "What did you want, Michael?"

That caught him off guard, "I, uh, I guess I wanted to be an actor. It just…never panned out. Life got in the way."

"So in the end," The Marionette said aloud, "we were all denied the future we deserved."

"But I guess it could've been worse." Mike agreed.

"After what we've done, what we've learned, what we've been put through," Goldie finally spoke up again, anger in their voice, "the best you can come up with is that it could've been worse?"

"Yeah." Mike answered without flinching, "It could always be worse. Because in spite of your beliefs to the contrary, at least you weren't alone."

What chilled Mike to the bone wasn't the moments of silence, or the downturned face. It was the laughter that then came from Golden Freddy. "You utterly pathetic man. You think you can go through a few bad weeks and still believe you understand what we've been through? You don't understand any of it. And you don't have the right to emphasize with any of us."

"And you don't have the right to speak for any of them." Mike said evenly, "But with that in mind, what did you want to be?"

Blinking, Goldie for the first time since Mike had met them seemed almost confused. "What I wanted never mattered."

"Of course it does, Goldie!" The Marionette spoke up, almost hurt, "You were always a part of the family. Always counted. Always mattered. And I'm sorry if I ever made you feel it was anything else."

Stunned, Golden Freddy stared at the Marionette for a moment, before laughing again, fresh tears spilling from their eyes. "You're wrong. I was never important. I'm barely just a memory of a child who can barely remember their own name. All I wanted was revenge, and even that wasn't enough."

"I just…I just wanted to be happy. But that's the thing about happiness, isn't it? You don't even understand what it is until you lose it. You spend all of that time worrying about pointless, meaningless stuff…"

"You only realise what happiness is," Mike finished for them, "once it's gone."

Finally looking at him, Mike expected to see anger in the eyes of the child he knew as Goldie. Resentment. But instead, all he saw was a sad, broken soul.

"I'm sorry." Goldie sobbed, looking down. Over the face of the child materialised another mask, this one golden. Shaped in a similar way to Freddy's mask.

"And I'm sorry for what you've lost." Mike answered sadly, "I forgive you."

"And maybe this will be enough to make you see how much we care." The Marionette closed their eyes and waved their hands over the table and slowly, a giant cake appeared on top of it. Seeing the cake, all of the children crowded around it, admiring with awe. Then the Marionette turned to look at Mike with a smile. "I just wish there was something I could do to help you, Michael. With your own problems, back in the mortal realm."

With a weary sigh, Mike almost smiled. "Kid, whilst I appreciate the gesture, my problems have always been something I've had to deal with. Don't worry; I've got some good people up there."

"Is it time, noble one?" Freddy inquired, hopeful, "Is it time for us to move on?"

"It would seem so."

"Good." Bon groaned.

"Is this goodbye?" BB spoke wide-eyed.

"For us here, yes. Hopefully together."

"What will happen to us?" Chica asked, worried.

"I don't know. I could never know until we reached this point. But I believe…I believe it will be better there than here."

"And certainly better than where I'm going." Mike mused, almost sarcastically.

"It will be okay, Michael."

Mike almost laughed. "You sure are optimistic, kid."

"What can I say?" The Marionette smiled one last time, "This is a place of fantasy and fun."

Then, almost without warning, the Marionette vanished. Faded away. Looking around, Mike realised that they were all fading, leaving nothing more than their masks which slowly drifted to the ground as their souls ascended in the form of balloons.

Sunday 8th March 2015, 00:38 AM

As his vision returned to him, Mike found himself inside of that office again, staring at a static computer screen. All over his body was the pins and needles sensation, and he had to wake each limb up manually just to stand up. Stepping outside his office, shakily moving, he looked to his left and saw Samantha and Carl rush inside, followed closely by Jack and Ella.

"It's done!" Mike yelled as they entered, "We need to light this place up!"

"Did Caine come this way?" Sweat dripping from his forehead, Carl's eyes were wide with fury.

That question stunned him. "He's not with you?"

"Lawson locked the god damn door behind us before he could leave! He's still in there with Lawson and that thing!"

Staring at Carl, Mike understood what that meant. "None of them have come this way."

"We can't leave him!" Sam pleaded, a rare panic in her eyes.

"We're not going to!" Loading another magazine in his rifle, Carl entered the building. "I'm going in after him. Anyone want to stay behind?"

"Hell no." Mike seethed as he loaded his own gun, quickly forming up beside Carl.

"We're with you." Ella nodded as she joined them, followed closely by Jack.

Samantha gave a sigh of relief. "Thank you." Though she wasn't armed, she followed them closely.

"Watch your corners, we don't know what's been happening in there—" When they heard the loud steps coming from the hallway, they stopped in their tracks. Sharing a look with Carl, Mike swallowed his fear. They all knew what the sound was and they all aimed their weapons down the hallway, waiting.

Like a devil, the animatronic slowly walked around the corner. Bullet holes and sparks popped out, showing the extent on the damages it had endured. Blood trickled from its claw-like hands, and Mike knew it to be Reggie's blood on them. It seemed rough, like it had just been in the battle of its life, yet it was still standing.

The animatronic seemed to take its time, like it was still revelling in the chaos it had caused. Then it turned its head towards them, looking at the guns aimed towards it. Looking its next victims up and down, assessing their weaknesses.

Then it fully turned towards them and Mike knew there was only one way this could go. Out of the three that had fought, only the animatronic was still standing. There was a good chance that even if they got past that thing, they weren't going to find Caine alive.

Looking back at his companions and seeing the fear on their faces, Mike saw that Sam was thinking the same thing. Turning back to the animatronic, Mike murmured.

"Even if we have to go through that thing, and even if he's dead, we're getting Caine out of this building. Got it?"

"Yes, boss." Carl snarled before opening fire, joined quickly by the other three.

Sunday 8th March 2015, 00:39 AM

Get up.

He was standing on a road, cracked and destroyed after all the years that had passed. Weeds had began to grow out of the cracks. Broken cars were scattered all over the road, abandoned. Halted on their commute, family trips, or quick drives. All of it over in an instant. Perhaps not even knowing what was happening until it happened.

Get up. It's not over yet.

In the distant were buildings. Skyscrapers. Many of their windows were gone, the glass smashed by the shockwave. Some had even collapsed. Covering the buildings, even the ones closest to him, were vines and trees that had begun to grow soon after. Over time, nature had taken back what once was theirs.

Get up.

He knew what he was seeing wasn't real. Or at least, he wasn't actually there. The air wouldn't have been breathable if it was. From where he was standing, he could see almost the entire city that had been lost. Two decades had past and it was no longer the metropolis that it was. A city that had once been home to two million people.

Only one person left.

Feeling the pain in his abdomen, he reached down to feel it. When he brought his hand back up, he saw the blood trickling from his fingers.

Wake up.

Feeling the presence behind him, he turned around and saw the man standing there, ten metres away from him. He cracked a bloody grin, his greying dirty blonde hair sticking to his sweaty forehead and he cackled.

"Not time to die just yet, Tommy."

Breath rushed into his lungs as he woke up, searing pain in his chest and every other part of his body. Coughing, he felt the blood trickling from his mouth. Trying to breath, he looked down and saw the metal pipe sticking out of his gut. Attached to the ground.

Looking wildly around the room, he saw the dead body to his left. The either dead or unconscious body to his right. And the great, big animatronic that was walking away from him. Towards where he had left Samantha.

He tried to move, to get up, but that pain came back and he almost cried out. As the animatronic turned the corner, he knew his time was running out. Looking up, he saw the handle above him and he reached for it, but screamed out as it felt like someone twisted a knife in his gut.

But he persisted and finally grabbed hold of that handle. Fresh blood was quickly spilling from his wound and he felt himself growing weaker by the minute. Clinging onto the handle for dear life, Caine pulled himself and screamed out again. But no matter how much it hurt, he continued to pull himself, screaming and screaming.

Then, the pipe underneath him gave way, ripping itself from the ground. Collapsing onto the floor, he looked around, regaining his bearings, and found his dropped gun. He tried to stand, but his legs gave way underneath him, so he had to quickly find the wall and used it for support. Around the corner, gunfire erupted.

Moving as quickly as he could, Caine reached the corner, realising he was leaving a bloody trail. The pipe had gone all the way through and he was bleeding heavily. As he got to the corner of the room and the gunfire stopped, he looked around and saw the animatronic standing in the middle of the hallway.

In front of the animatronic were Caine's allies. Mike and Carl, standing side by side. Behind them were Ella, Jack, and Samantha. Caine and Mike made eye contact, and Mike's eyes went wide as he saw him.

He saw Mike say something quietly to his allies, and both Ella and Sam looked and saw him. Trying his best to stand up, Caine looked at them and saw their stricken state when they realised how badly he was hurt. Finally mustering the strength to stand, Caine left the wall and stood in the centre of the hallway.

Now he could see them all, including Carl. Sensing something, the animatronic turned around so it was standing with Caine to its right and the armed squad to his left.

"We have to get through that thing!" Ella yelled out, getting ready to fire again.

But as Caine made eye contact with Carl and Mike again, he knew the reality of the situation. They had found no way to stop the animatronic for good. It took the combined force of him and Dutch to knock it off the ground just for a few moments. Gunfire had not been effective. No one had managed to stand a chance to do the same.

If anyone tried to get through that animatronic, they would die.

Breathing in, Caine looked at Mike, who stared back at him, aghast at realising the same thing. Then Caine nodded to him. To his right, down at the end of the hallway near the Bonnie scarecrow, was the fuse box that Mike had rigged up. All he needed was the one shot.

Something flashed in Carl's eyes as he realised what was about to happen. Horror and sorrow was exchanged between them before Carl nodded, accepting. Then Mike turned to his friends and uttered the words.

"We have to go."

Both Ella and Jack looked shocked, but saw that it was agreed upon. Behind them, Samantha started shaking her head.

"No. No."

Caine wanted to speak up. To tell her it was okay. That he loved her. To look after the kids. But his strength was waning and to utter those words would be all it would take for him to back out of this. So instead, he took aim and fired at the animatronic.

As the animatronic turned to face him, he almost smiled. Samantha pushed past Ella, but before she could take more than two steps, Mike stepped in to block her.

"No, no, no, Tom, please, no! Tom!"

Carl stepped in and assisted Mike, grabbing Samantha by her other arm. She had started screaming by this point and Caine knew it was all it took from Carl and Mike to continue. As Ella and Jack led the way, they exchanged a glance towards Caine before disappearing around the corner.

Suddenly, the animatronic lunged, and Caine knew he didn't have the strength to dodge. It grabbed him, lifted him up, and pinned him against the wall, opening its jaw and revealing the flesh inside. His pistol left his hands and went spinning on the floor. Though Caine could see Sam still screaming as she was dragged away, he couldn't hear it anymore. A stab of pain erupted in his side again and he realised that the animatronic had ripped the metal pipe from his abdomen.

Then it held it in its other arm and prepared to stab him with it.

As Carl and Sam disappeared around the corner, Mike was the last one Caine saw. They shared a look before Mike reluctantly went. Then looking back at the animatronic, Caine stared into its cold, dead eyes and smirked.

Before he made his move, he could hear the sound of the love of his life scream his name.

Then he reached for his waist, finding the old revolver that had once been John Lamarck's. He unholstered it, and aimed towards the fuse box. Seeing the revolver, the animatronic for the first time since he'd met it looked stunned.

But it was too late. Too late to stop him, with its hands obstructed. Locking his sights on the fuse box, Caine knew he wouldn't miss. His finger pressed down on the trigger and an eruption of sound burst his ear drums.

It was like everything went slow and quiet after that. Time seemed to become abstract. It was almost like he could see the motion of the bullet as it left the gun, whirring in the air. As it twisted and turned towards its target. Then, when it hit the fuse box, he could see the sparks that flew, which then burst.

At that point, the room warmed up. Felt the shockwave hit him. He saw the animatronic's gaze turn from his target back to him. It almost snarled, screaming in his face. Knowing it was too late to stop him.

He felt the fire light up through the building's wiring and the gasoline that had been dropped through the halls. Parts of the building lit up first but Caine knew that the moment it hit the gas pipes, the entire building would erupt.

Flashes of people closest to him flashed in his mind as he almost saw his entire life laid before him. Mike. Carl. Tyler. Three of his closest allies.

Spencer. Katie. Zack. He could only hope they would remain as strong as he'd left them.

But the final face he saw was the woman who he lived for. Who had made all of this worth it.

Thomas Caine closed his eyes…

Sunday 8th March 2015, 01:28 AM

…and the fireball erupted inside Fazbear Frights, the resulting shockwave knocking them off their feet.

Feeling a roar of pain in his ears and his entire body unwilling to move, Mike tried to look up. His vision was blurry, but he could see the fire burning inside the building and the smoke pouring out, licking the sky. It burnt against the darkness of the night.

Trying to claw his way to his feet, Mike realised that his eardrums had burst. He pushed through the pain and looked around. Ella and Jack were helping each other up to his left. They both looked at him and Mike could see that they couldn't hear either.

Then the ringing in his ears started to quieten, but still lingered. He could hear the roar of fire rushing from the inside of the building. Then the crying to his right. Looking over dazed, Mike saw Carl desperately holding a screaming Samantha back from rushing to the building. Trying to regain his bearings, Mike stumbled over to help him.

"It's over, Sam." Mike heard Carl begging over her screams, his voice low, "It's over. He's gone. It's done."

But she wasn't listening. She struggled closer to the building, face red with tears and fury, refusing to believe it. As Mike grabbed hold of her to help Carl, he started to understand what had happened.

"Sam, it's done. There's nothing we can do."

Feeling the tears sting his cheeks, it took all of his strength for Mike not to fall to his knees in despair. He saw that Carl's own eyes had begun to brim with tears as they exchanged a look. Eventually, Samantha's screams turned to pained cries as she collapsed to her knees. Carl embraced her as she wailed and Mike knew he needed to step back.

All Mike could do was watch as the black smoke reached up to the sky. Parts of the building had begun to collapse, burying the nightmare. All that was left were scars.

Sunday 8th March 2015, 01:28 AM

Inside the building that once was Fazbear's Frights, a robotic hand burst out of the rubble, clawed fingertips reaching for something to grasp.

Sunday 8th March 2015, 06:00 AM

In what was once a hallway lay the four heads of the animatronics. Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy. Their eyes dark and lifeless. Without the souls that once possessed them.

Well, then. Honestly, what is there to say? This chapter hurt to write. I've had this moment planned since 2016. To have reached this point was both exhilarating and exhausting. Exciting yet terrifying. Because it felt like this was my Rubicon and now that I've crossed...it changes the whole game.

TU4QU0I53T4IAN6L3: Mike most certainly lost it and unfortunately, it's gotten two people killed. Was it worth it for the chance to free the souls of his friends? That's something he'll have to decide for himself. Reggie dying in such a way was undeserving and horrible, especially when you consider how clueless he truly was. In the end, between the three of them, only Springtrap is the one still standing. The fact that the Purple Man went up against both Caine and Lawson and was the victor, it truly shows how dangerous he is. Only amplified by his undead status. And though Caine did not manage to walk out of that place in the end, he at least made sure his allies got out safely.

So...next story when? Well, it's going to be back to the drawing board. I'm probably going to be taking a break from writing for the next few weeks, due to having July and August chalk full of hours to work, but I'm hoping to be back on track starting from September. We're tackling a whole new ball game from here on out and there's going to be a massive gap to fill. Until then, I appreciate all of you reading and Cheah, massive thanks for you still sticking it out for this long. You're without a doubt the one keeping me motivated through all of this.